“ How incredibly young we were when all this happened ” (from Frank Arthur Bond’s interview given to Valentina Golysheva in Archangel in 2012) Sadly enough FRANK ARTHUR BOND is no longer with us. He died on January 6, 2015. That’s a great loss in the ranks of the Arctic Convoy veterans. Frank Arthur Bond was one of the few veterans who took part in the first Dervish operation which came to Archangel on August 31,1941. “Although we felt cold in the Arctic as young boys we were very excited about it” such were the comments on the first Dervish operation made by Frank Bond while meeting the students and professors at the Northern Arctic Federal University (Archangel, Russia) in September of 2012. It was his third visit to Northern Russia since the World War II. His second visit to Russia was in 2010, 68 years after the war when he joined a group of nine veterans of Arctic convoy mission and came specially to take part in the celebrations of the V-Day in Archangel. Frank came to Archangel (Russia) in 2010 with his daughter Emma Bond. Frank Arthur Bond was always mobile and positive. He recollected many details of the first Dervish operation to Archangel. He readily shared his impressions with the Russian students and teachers: “I began my service in the Royal Navy in 1939 at the age of fifteen as a look out.. The first visit I made to Russia was on August 31 1941 on a heavy 8 inch guns cruiser HM.S Suffolk.. It wasn’t very dangerous because the Germans didn’t know we existed. We followed the ice-breaker into Archangel and on the deck we carried Hurricane fighters, the IRN personnel who promised to assemble them and they would be fighting the Germans within the next week. They were regarded with suspicion by the Russian soldiers when they were alongside.. We had to unload quickly and get out of Archangel because we were considered a good target for the German Luftwaffe. Then we escorted several convoys to Spitzbergen. However it’s a long time since I came to Russia. It’s my first visit over 68 years because I lived in Hon Kong. Often I wanted to come back. I felt it was time for me to pay respect to the Russians. This time I’ve been overwhelmed by the peoples’ generosity and appreciative of what my colleagues did and those who didn’t survive during the war”. Later on Frank travelled to Moscow in December of 2013 to take part in the ceremony of granting the Arctic star medal to the Moscow Museum of World War II. His last visit to Russia was in August of 2014 when the British delegation of veterans came to St. Petersburg for the ceremony of unveiling the Memorial to the Russian arctic mission during WWII. As Diana Pitts, the secretary of the Russian Convoy Club in London, said: “Frank had a wonderful time (as always ) when he visited Russia last year”. “What do you think of the Russians, Frank?” that was one of my numerous questions given to him during his last visit to Northern Russia. – “Oh, I have a great respect for them not for the fact that we worked with them during the war but all of them are incredibly polite and they always smile, ask you what you’re doing. I mean this afternoon the lady came up and she said smiling: “Convoys?” (She probably looked at the uniform) She couldn’t speak English. But I really appreciated her concern. And what really impressed me also was the fact that when we went to the schools younger children were also so impressed. And I think being with the younger generation, the university students and translators, during all the meetings, let alone this September, was also incredibly exciting for us the veterans of the Arctic convoys. And this is why my daughter Emma said to me: “Make sure that you give these photographs when you were young.” And not is that I’m handsome, but it will give an impression to the kids and all other younger generation how incredibly young we were when all this happened”. Frank Arthur Bond was very sincere in his desire to open widely the historical curtain of the friendly relationship and everlasting fraternity between the British and Russian communities which started in August of 1941. We will always be grateful to Frank and his shipmates for their courageous endeavour displayed during WWII for the benefit of the future generations. He was a real Ambassador loved and greatly revered in Northern Russia. We think he was sent back to Russia by the Providence himself and we feel appreciative for getting to know this kind-hearted and loyal British Gentleman. With love and sorrow from Archangel - Valya Golysheva
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 16:30:46 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015